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Sony’s New Camera Punches Above Its Weight

By Roy Furchgott July 31, 2011 5:49 amJuly 31, 2011 5:49 am

You probably know all of the advantages of digital SLR cameras: interchangeable lenses; large sensors for better image quality and better low light shots; and no shutter lag. But you might not realize that you can get almost all of those features in a much smaller (though no less expensive) package.

Those packages are now generically most often known as MILC, or mirrorless interchangeable lens cameras, or sometimes CSC, or compact systems cameras, or my favorite, electronic viewfinder with interchangeable lens (EVIL).

Take the new Sony Alpha NEX-C3, for instance. At 4.3 by 2.4 by 1.3 inches and eight ounces, it is the smallest, lightest of the current crop with an APS sensor. That is important because an APS sensor is the same size as that of many entry-level digital SLRs. The NEX-C3 has a 16 megapixel APS-C sensor, but don’t place too much weight on the pixel count; it’s a poor indication of quality. Sensor size is more important, and it’s comparatively big.

The camera, just like an SLR, takes different lenses, giving you more options than with a point-and-shoot camera. Current lenses are a 16mm fixed lens (equivalent to a 24mm on a 35mm camera) for $250, an 18 to 55mm zoom (equivalent to a 27 to 72) for $300, and an 18 to 200 zoom (equivalent to a 27 to 300mm) $800. A macro lens, a tele-zoom and a portrait lens are in the works for this year.

The Nex-C3 with the 18 to 55 zoom lists for about $650, about the same as a Nikon or Canon DSLR with an equivalent lens.

So far, so good. But there are some downsides. One rap against MILC cameras is that they are slower to focus automatically than DSLRs. That is true, agrees Sony, but only if you aren’t using a DSLR’s LCD screen to compose your photo. If you do, your DSLR is using the same focusing method as the mirrorless camera and will be about the same speed, said Mark Weir, senior technical manager for digital imaging at Sony.

Another issue is that the small size of the cameras leaves little room for buttons, so you have to dig through menus to find all the features.

Sony is trying simplify the system with a menu item called Photo Creativity that lets you dial in effects without knowing your bokeh from a hole in the ground. For instance, if you want an artfully blurry background for a portrait, you don’t need to know how to set Aperture Priority. In Photo Creativity, you go to Defocus Background. You can then see what the effect does to your picture on the LCD screen. White balance is called “color,” and it isn’t set in Kelvin, but “warm” and “cool.” But don’t worry, all of the manual controls are still there.

While you can find similar types of cameras from Olympus, Panasonic, Leica and others, this format hasn’t caught on in the United States. “For Americans, when it comes to form factor, bigger is better,” said Christopher Chute, an analyst who follows the camera market for market research firm IDC.

In Japan, one-third of interchangeable lens cameras sold are mirrorless, Mr. Chute said. He predicted that when the cost hits $500, they will get traction here as well. “Mirrorless will provide many of the same benefits as the DSLR,” he said, and with a smaller, more convenient size, they may spend less time in the back of the closet — as some SLRs and camcorders have found themselves.

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